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- J. KAMES.

METALLIG CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS. No. 398,012. Patented Nov 20, 1888.

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N. PETERS, Pholo-lithognpher. Wadlingtun. n1;

JOSHUA KAMES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE NATIONAL ELECTRIC CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

CONDUIT COMPANY, OF

METALLIC CONNECT OR FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,012, dated November 20, 1888.

Application filed January 12, 1888. Serial No. 260571. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSHUA KAMES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Metallic Connectors for Electric-Motors for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrical mechan- Io ism for propelling street-cars and other conveyances, and the purpose thereof is to provide simple means whereby contact may be preserved between the main conductor or cable and the arm or arms taking the current I 5 therefrom to the motor.

It is also my purpose to provide means whereby the rocking movement of the car, as well as the rise and fall of the frame by variations in the weight carried, may be automatically compensated.

It is my purpose, finally, to provide a simple insulating-bearing for the contact-arms, which shall avoid the necessity of lubrication and give complete insulation.

The invention consists in the several novel features of construction and new combinations of parts, hereinafter fully set forth, and then definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is 0 a vertical section of one end of a car and platform, showing the application of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section in the plane 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view, enlarged,of

3 one of the contact-arms,the view showing said part in elevation and in section.

In the said drawings the reference-numeral 1 denotes a car of any ordinary type, having mounted thereon an electric motor of any o known or preferred construction, said motor,

inasmuch as it forms no part of mypresent invention, not being shown in the drawings.

Rising from the floor of the casing,in which the motor is arranged, are vertical rods or bars 2, which support a plate or spider, 3, se-

cured to their top. Below this spider, and separated from it by spiral springs 4t, encircling the rods 2, is a second plate, 5, from which depend arms or brackets 6 of substantact-shoe,14,adapted to make connection with 6:

rangement shown giving a perfectly-uniform tially equal length. These arms are formed in pairs, one pair being at or near one end of the plate and the other pair at or near the other end.

Between each pair of arms or brackets is pivotally-mounted an arm, 7, having two diverging arms, 8 and 9, projecting from it at or near the pivotal point. One of these arms, 8, is a contact,andis adapted to engage with acoutact, 8,depen'ding from the plate 5. The other arm has a link-connection, 10, leading from its extremity to a cross-head, 12, on a vertical slidebar, 13, which passes through both the plate 5 and the spider 3 and moves freely in each. Upon the lower extremity of each arm is a conand move upon the cable. NVires 15 lead from each of the contacts 8 to the bindingposts 16, whereby the current is carried to the motor.

In order to balance the weight of the bar 13, alight spring, 17, may, if desired, be interposed between the plate 5 and a disk or head, 18, rigid upon said bar.

It will be seen that by pushing downward upon the vertical slide-bar 13 the arms 7 may both be instantly raised out of contact with the cable,either to arrest the motor or to cross some intersecting cable. At the same time, when the car is in motion, the rocking and swaying of the car-body, as well as the rise and fall thereof, by reason of the entrance or departure of passengers, will be compensated by the rise and fall of the plate 5, which carries the arms 6, to which the contact-arms 7 are pivoted, as well as the contacts 8, the arcontact at all times and under all circumstances.

I prefer to form the pivotal bearings of the contact-arms, as shown in Fig. 4, by setting a glass or vitreous bearing, 19, in an opening in the arm, said bearing having a flange, 20, on one end. A boss or lug, 21, is formed on each side or face of said arm, surrounding the bearing, and on one of saidlugs I mount awooden annulus, 22, secured in place by screws 23, or 95 equivalent means. This annulus overlaps the flanged end of the bearing and holds it in place.

The invention described is adapted for use in connection withthe electricsubway'eov ered by an application, Serial No. 260, 572,fil ed by me of even date herewith.

What I claim is 1. The combination, with a car or other con Veyance having an electric motor, of contactarms taking the current from a subway to said motor, a verticallymovable support upon which said arms are pivotally mounted and carrying the electrical contacts with which they engage, and guides giving vertical movement to said support, substantially as described. H

2. The combination, with vertical guides having a spider or platerigidly mounted thereon, of a support movable on said guides and having brackets orarm's 'with electrical ;'contacts arranged upon said brackets,- -and arms pivoted to the latter and having contact-arms and springs interposed between the support and spider, substantially asdescribed.

3; The combination, with vertical guides having a plate or spider mounted thereon, of a support movable on said guides-and provided with brackets and contacts, arms pivotally mounted on said brac'kets and-having contact-arms engaging with the contacts on the movable support, a verticalslidebar having alink-connection with an arm on each contact-arm, and springsinterposed between the support and the spider, substantially as described.

4; The'combination, with vertical guide bars having a spider connecting their upper ends, of a support movable upon said bars, springs interposed between said support and the spider, contact-arms pivotally mounted on brackets depending from said support, a vertical slide-bar carried through the spider and the movable support and having link-conneetions to arms projecting from the contactarms at or near the pivotal points of the latter, and a spring giving support to the vertical slide bars, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the swinging contactarm having an opening and opposite bosses surrounding the ends of the opening, the vitreous bearing'inserted in the opening, and an annulus attached in a fixed position to one of the bosses and-overlapping one end of the vitreous bearing, snbstantially as described.

6. The combination, with a contact arm having one or more openings and provided with surrounding lugs or bosses, of a vitreous bearing having a flanged end, and a non-conducting annulus overlapping said end and se cured to one of said lugs, substantially as described. I

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSHUA KAMES,

WVi t n esses:

Jos. L. OOOMBS,- JAMEs A. RUTHERFORD. 

